Research on Plant Production in Greenhouse and Plant Factory Systems

Dear Colleagues,

Due to the effects of uncertain climate factors in crop growth, advanced technologies have come to play an increasingly significant role in agricultural production. An intelligent greenhouse and plant factory system, in combination with the greenhouse and plant factory, intelligent equipment such as sensors, and the Internet of Things, successfully optimizes the crop growth environment. Through precise monitoring of crop growth conditions such as temperature, moisture, sunlight, etc., agricultural workers can adjust the indoor artificial lights and control the irrigation frequency to improve crop photosynthesis and water use efficiency, improving the yield and quality of fruits and vegetables. Compared with traditional greenhouses, intelligent, automated, and scientific greenhouses and plant factories have become indispensable parts of modern agriculture. However, intelligent greenhouse and plant factory systems are inevitably characterized by high costs and difficult operations, preventing many farmers from taking advantage of the convenience they offer.

This Special Issue will collect a range of articles and reviews associated with the greenhouse and plant factory environmental control system and smart farming. Potential topics include (but are not limited to):

• Greenhouse and plant factory environment simulation;
• Temperature and heat control;
• Sunlight control and artificial light applications;
• Water use monitoring and irrigation management;
• Crop nutrient monitoring and sustainable fertilization;
• The design and operation of smart greenhouse and plant factory systems;
• The economic and biological benefits of intelligent greenhouse and plant factory production.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Wei Lu
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Agriculture is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.